HUNTER REGION OF NSW 2000 BIRD REPORT The Hunter Bird Observers Club Inc. (HBOC) has produced this annual record of the birds of the Hunter Region of NSW. The aims of HBOC are: • To encourage and further the study and conservation of Australian birds and their habitat • To encourage bird observing as a leisure time activity HBOC holds monthly meetings and organises regular mid-week and weekend outings, and occasional camps. Beginners and more experienced birdwatchers are equally catered for by the range of activities that is provided. All HBOC members receive a regular newsletter and have access to a comprehensive range of books, tapes, CDs and videocassettes about Australian and world birdlife that are available for loan. Membership categories are Single, Family and Junior, and applications for membership are welcomed at any time. HBOC can be contacted by telephone on (02) 4958 5942 and at either the postal or Web addresses below. For more information, or to make an e-mail contact, the club's Website is located at: http://users.hunterlink.net.au/hboc/home.htm Copies of this report, at $10.00 each plus $1.50 for postage and handling (for 1-3 copies), may be obtained from: The Secretary Hunter Bird Observers Club Inc. P.O. Box 24 New Lambton NSW 2305 Cover photograph: Pacific Baza Aviceda subcristata (photographer: Nick Livanos) Date of Issue: September 5, 2000 ISSN: 1322-5332 Editor: Alan Stuart © Hunter Bird Observers Club Inc CONTENTS Page FOREWORD INTRODUCTION 1 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR 3 SYSTEMATIC LIST 5 Introduction 5 Birds 6 SUPPLEMENTARY RECORDS 60 UNCONFIRMED RECORDS 60 CORRECTIONS AND CHANGES 61 ESCAPEES 62 LOCATION ABBREVIATIONS 62 GRID REFERENCES FOR COMMON LOCATIONS 63 OBSERVER CODES 64 THE HUNTER REGION 66 FOREWORD I feel honoured to be asked to write the Foreword for this, the 8th Annual Bird Report of Hunter Bird Observers Club. It brings back memories of my attempt, during the 1980's, to establish a list of all the bird species reported in the Hunter Region. At that time information was available to me from the lists compiled at Club outings and camps, from individual observations, from sightings reported in Newsletters and Journals of other NSW Bird Clubs, and from "Hunter Natural History", the journal of the former Newcastle Flora & Fauna Protection Society, our parent group. The data was recorded by hand on a card system, an approach that appears quite clumsy by comparison with the electronic standards of the present day. And yet, over the subsequent years these records have proved their worth as a source of reference on many occasions. So in a sense, they could be regarded as the forerunner of the Annual Bird Reports. Past records, as we all would agree, are invaluable in assessing the continuance or loss of certain species, and over time they tell the story of the changing environment in which we are living. And so it will be as future generations look back on the Annual Bird Reports of our club. Some of the pioneer birdwatchers of the Hunter Region must have compiled priceless personal lists. Men such as Jim Gray, Albert Gwynne, Athol D'Ombrain, Lindsay Hyem, Pat Bourke contributed mightily to ornithological knowledge in the Hunter, but sadly, not all their observations were published, and with their demise these have been lost. All of which emphasises the importance of, and the need for, the continuance of Hunter Bird Observers Club's backing of these Annual Bird Reports. This publication, as must be obvious to all, is a massive undertaking, and all members who submitted contributions deserve our thanks for their support. I applaud the work of the Records Appraisal Committee in its role of assessing reports of unusual sightings. A commendable, if onerous task, attempting to preserve the integrity of the contents, and so make this a reliable reference source for posterity. Finally, all this information has to be collated and recorded with appropriate comments by the chief architect – Alan Stuart. Alan has been involved with all eight publications, and must be commended for his methodical approach and dedicated industry. My congratulations to all concerned, and my best wishes for the continued success of the Club and this venture. E.L. Hamonet* June 25, 2001 *Ed Hamonet pioneered the collation and documentation of Hunter Region bird records, which culminated in the 1987 presentation to Hunter Bird Observers Club of his monograph A Checklist of Birds of the Hunter Region. For this and many other contributions, Ed was elected an Honorary Life Member of HBOC in 1999. INTRODUCTION In this Report, produced by Hunter Bird Observers Club Inc. (HBOC), we present a summary of the status of bird species within the Hunter Region of NSW during the year 2000. The information is based upon observation records which we have gathered from a variety of sources. The 2000 Report describes the regional status of 376 bird species, including 334 species that were recorded during the year. There are 11 additions to the 1999 species list – Northern Giant-Petrel, Providence Petrel, Antarctic Prion, Fairy Prion, Black Petrel, Streaked Shearwater, Hutton’s Shearwater, Wandering Albatross, Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, Black-tailed Native-hen and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater. Breeding records for 131 species are described, of the total of 214 species that have been confirmed to have bred within the Region in the past 10 years. The information about seabirds in the 2000 Bird Report has been significantly bolstered by some pelagic surveys that were conducted by HBOC in the latter half of the year. The surveys, departing from Swansea and travelling >60km south- east, to the edge of the continental shelf and sometimes slightly beyond, were very fruitful. It has been decided to include the results of these surveys (which are planned to continue in future years) into these Reports – partly so that some significant ornithological records are not lost. Consequently, for this and the future Reports, we have modified the definition of the Hunter Region to reflect an extension of the boundaries of the area over which records apply. The Hunter Region is defined now as: • The area managed by local government authorities for Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Cessnock, Muswellbrook, Merriwa, Singleton, Scone, Murrurundi, Dungog, Gloucester, Port Stephens, Greater Taree and Great Lakes, and • The ocean to the east of that area, extending to the edge of the continental shelf. The philosophies that we use when preparing Reports remain as were described in the 1996 Report: • The overall list of species will include all species which, since 1987, are confirmed by HBOC to have been present in the Region. Records of rare species from before 1987 mostly would be difficult to confirm, due to the amount of time that has elapsed since the observation. At present, HBOC does not propose to review the earlier records. • The status description for each species is to be subject to regular review, with the aim of ensuring that the description reflects the current situation. For any year, the main indication of the then-current Hunter Region birdlife will come from considering the status descriptions of the listed species. • All records will be vetted and no record will be accepted for inclusion into the Reports unless HBOC is convinced of its validity. Information about the records appraisal scheme is presented below. © Hunter Bird Observers Club Inc 2000 Bird Report Page 1 • Breeding status will be assigned to a species only if definite evidence to this effect has been provided. If there have been no breeding records for a species for 10 or more years, the breeding status will be reviewed. To assist in vetting records, we have classified each species into one of three categories, as described below. The classification reflects, in part, the frequency of reporting. Category 1: all records for the species generally are accepted. Category 2: records usually are accepted, but supporting information may be required in the event of unusual numbers, location or season. Category 3: the species is considered to be of special interest in relation to the Region, and supporting information is required before any record can be accepted for inclusion into the Report. A Records Appraisal Committee assigns these categories and decides whether each record can be accepted. In 2000, the RAC members were Sue Hamonet, Jeanette Stephenson, Ann Lindsey, Wilma Barden and Jim Imrie. More recently, Fred van Gessel, Terry Lindsey and Phil Hansbro have joined the RAC and have assisted in reviewing this Report. The value of the Bird Report is overwhelmingly due to the small army of observers who submitted records of what they saw during the year. Whether the records were made as a one-off casual observation or as part of a regular and thorough survey program they all have been important in helping to continue to build the picture of birdlife in the Hunter Region. Thanks very much to all the contributors. Alan Stuart July 8, 2001 © Hunter Bird Observers Club Inc 2000 Bird Report Page 2 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR The highlights for 2000 included the following: • King Quail Coturnix chinensis at Arrowfield Feb, Mar and May • Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa at Kooragang Island Feb-Mar • Australian Shelduck Tadorna tadornoides at Tarro Sep 17 • Numerous pelagic birds of many species during surveys in the latter part of the year, including: - Southern Giant-Petrel Macronectes giganteus - Northern Giant-Petrel Macronectes halli - Cape Petrel Daption capense - Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera - Providence Petrel Pterodroma solandri - Antarctic Prion Pachyptila desolata - Fairy Prion Pachyptila turtur - Black Petrel Procellaria parkinsoni - Buller's Shearwater Puffinus bulleri - Hutton’s Shearwater Puffinus huttoni - Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans - Shy Albatross Diomedea cauta - Wilson’s Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus - White-faced Storm-Petrel Pelagodroma marina • Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas off Nobbys Head Mar 25 • Black Bittern Ixobrychus flavicollis at Rathmines Feb 13, KI Mar 9 and Paterson River Oct • Black Falcon Falco subniger – several records from the west of the Region • Black-tailed Native-hen Gallinula ventralis at Pambalong N.R.